Men’s 2016 Olympics

Odds to Win Gold Medal

Some of the world’s best golfers will represent their countries when they tee off in the Olympics on Thursday. While there is a PGA event scheduled for this week, the best golfers will be in Rio de Janeiro and that is where the attention should really be this weekend. Just like a normal tournament, the golfers will play 72 holes and the winner will earn a gold medal for their country. The field will include 60 competitors and some of the most noteworthy guys are Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed. None of these guys have experience playing in something like this, as there hasn’t been a golf tournament in the Olympics since 1904. With that being said, let’s now take a look at some of the better values to win come Sunday:

Henrik Stenson (11-to-2) - Henrik Stenson has been on fire coming into this tournament and that is why he is the undisputed favorite heading into the weekend. Stenson won his first ever major at The Open Championship in the middle of July, shooting a 20-under in an epic duel with Phil Mickelson. Stenson then followed up that performance with a tied for seventh-place finish at the PGA Championship about two weeks ago. He shot an eight-under in that one and just might have won if he played a solid final round. Still, Stenson is really hitting the ball well right now and should be able to win this thing if he is making some putts. He’s a good value at 11-to-2 and is worth putting a few units on here.

Justin Rose (12-to-1) - Justin Rose has had a bit of a down year, as he was seventh in the OWGR a year ago and is now just 12th this season. Rose was also a threat to win every single tournament over the past few years, but that has not been the case this season. Still, Rose is a tremendous talent and there is certainly a possibility that he will return to form soon. This tournament is one that he could get it going in, as he will be entering with some confidence on Thursday. Rose shot a four-under at the PGA Championship and while that is not a great score, it was the first time he shot under-par since May. If he can build on that then he represents some tremendous value this weekend at 12-to-1.

Emiliano Grillo (25-to-1) - Grillo has had a pretty good season thus far and is coming off of a very impressive showing at the PGA Championship. Grillo shot a six-under at that tournament and would have had a chance to win it if it weren’t for a really poor third round. Grillo shot a 73 in that round and a 68 or better in each of the other three. If he can play a complete tournament then this just might be his breakthrough victory. He is very good with his irons and has good touch on the greens, but needs to stay sharp mentally. Putting a unit or two on him could end up paying off huge though.

Adilson da Silva (150-to-1) - Not many dark horse candidates stick out, but if there’s one guy worth putting a half-unit or quarter-unit on then it’s da Silva. He will be the only entrant for Brazil in this competition and he certainly will take pride in playing for his country. It’s really not at all likely that he comes away victorious, but taking a shot on the guy playing in front of his own fans might be the only dark horse worth considering.